Lake Powell 2011 . . . . .

Oh how we love a few days at the Lake.  This year was SO MUCH FUN!  There were 13 people on this boat and it was a blast!  Some highlights include:  Ava getting thrown off the tube (she took it like a champ - Thank goodness she had Papa there to get her laughing!), Me getting up on the wakeboard - for 10 seconds, Sam throwing his keys into the bottom of the lake (no big deal - just required a mere 13 hours of EXTRA driving), the kids taking over the captains chair, cliff jumping, LOTS of food, and some amazing times with awesome family! 

Apparently being out in the sun on a boat really tuckers us out. :)

It is so much fun to have my sweet, beautiful niece with us!  We love her!

These pictures crack me up!  The to right picture literally had me rolling because this is a common face and pose that my dad likes to hit.  Does he look asleep to you?

Such Great Memories!!

O

The Beginning of August . . . .

Swimming and a self made "lounge spot" . . .

You know you're best friends when you have the same shoes, Kai's classic mullet that I just can't keep under control, and what happens when you sneak a starburst in with you to take a nap.

Ava and Taylor, Kai and Mikey:  Can you tell they like each other?

Ava's self-made lemonade stand in the house and our own little tribute to the Richfield Wildcats!

Funnies . . . . .

I am so behind and I WILL get caught up, but I had to post a couple of funny things my kids have said lately.

Ava has been sick for a couple of days and it was waking her up in the middle of the night.  When she's sick, it is very dramatic.  (Understatement).  Well, I was in her room, rubbing her back, trying to get her to quit crying and figuring out what exactly the problem was.  She kept saying I don't know to every question so I finally said, "What can mommy do to make you feel better?"  She looked at me, and serious as can be said, "I just want to make a craft!"  Keep in mind it was 3:00 in the morning.  That girl loves crafting.  Not sure where she got it, but I'm adapting. :)

The other day Kai came in my room, pulled up his shirt, and pointed to his nipples.  He looked at me seriously and said, "These are my pickles."  I said, "Your Pickles?"  He answered me with, "Yep! That's what daddy told me!"  I have no explanation for that conversation, but I was ROLLING with laughter. 

HellOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Nephi!

If you have been to the Ute Stampede you can perfectly hear the rodeo announcers voice saying the title of this post.  After our fun family reunion, we headed on to the fun of the Ute Stampede!  Before we hit the rodeo though, we packed in more fun.  Four wheeling with Papa is always a hit AND playing with the neighbor kids.  Plus, Ava got to do mini drill and loved it!

We got together with some of our favorite friends, Raelynn, Ethan, and Luke!  We all moved away from our little neighborhood about the same time and we miss them so much!  We got to celebrate Ethan's birthday with them by doing a little hot tubbin' and s'more cookin'.  I'll let you be the judge of whether the kids liked that or not.  Of course, Uncle Robert is the most awesome uncle ever.   

We were lucky enough to get together with a bunch of my high school friends for a swim day.  Can you believe how many kids we have together?  Wow!!

We hit the mammoth parade of course. The kids loved every second and stocked up on candy.  My little bro, being the stud that he is, drove the Miss Nephi Royalty through the parade.  I'm pretty sure that's the cleanest his jeep has EVER been.  I may be prejudice, but he's probably the most handsome 16 year old I've ever seen.

 

We made it to the rodeo that night and had a great time!  My entire family was there which made it even better.

My amazing grandparents!  Plus, my darling sister Jessica and her boyfriend Rob.  Okay fine, Rob is darling too. :)  Oh - and Kai is certainly the most darling.

The fabulousness that are my parents and my kids watching the skydiver bring the American Flag in.  It's one of my favorite parts of the rodeo and chokes me up every time.  The truth?  I may or may not be getting a little choked up just typing this.

My beautiful sister Alecia and her husband Sam along with my favorite niece on this side of the family. :)  LOVE that little Miss. 

Of course, we made it to the carnival after the rodeo.  The merry-go-round was a hit.  The caterpillar roller coaster not so much; if you can't already tell by Kai's face in the first picture. 

We had so much fun on our long Utah trip and love our families so much!

Cuff Family Reunion - St. George Style . . . .

Let's take a little trip back to July.  We had a FABULOUS family reunion.  Everybody had a blast.  We did a ton of swimming (kids slept WONDERFULLY every single night), hiked in Zions (Randy risked his life to save a flip flop in the river), saw Grease at Tuahcan (note to self - leave 2 yr old at home next time), shopped, ate a lot of good food, laughed, chatted, (Randy may have thrown an all night softball tournament into the mix), and just plain enjoyed being with our family!  Thanks for everything.  We love you all!

 These kids are beyond lucky to have such amazing grandparents!

The job I love . . . . .

Besides being a mom and wife of course!  I am a consultant for Paparazzi Accessories and I LOVE LOVE it!  I am pretty passionate about this company.  We sell BEAUTIFUL and AFFORDABLE accessories.  Necklaces, Bracelets, Hair Pieces, Headbands, and Rings.  Want to know the BEST part of all?  Every single piece is only $5.  That's it.  You would NEVER look at this awesome jewelry and think it is that affordable.  Do me a favor: check out my link, and then if you feel so inclined, let me know what you think, and share with your friends and family! 

http://www.paparazzibylynsey.blogspot.com/

4th of July . . . . .

Yep - We've taken a step back in time.  Clear back to the beginning of July.  Honestly, with the crazy summer we've had, I'm pretty impressed that I'm posting this before Christmas.  We stayed home this year which is nearly the first time we've ever done that.  It was different because we're used to being around family.  We missed everybody!  BUT, we did have fun with our little family.  We went swimming during the day, had a little BBQ, watched fireworks in the Home Depot parking lot and did a few small fireworks at home.  It was a fun day.  I love the 4th of July because it reminds of us how blessed we are.

These pictures were a couple of days before the 4th, but they crack me up.  My kids were determined to wear their rain/snow boots because there was a small stream of water going down the curb.

 

My Red, White, and Blue Cuties . . . . . .